In The Late of Night
by Beautiful Midnight
Summary: Marron and Carrot finally face the music about their feelings for one another, but when Marron dies, will Carrot be able to find him again?
1. Chapter One

Author's Notes: First off, the usual legal stuff that keeps people from getting the money in my bank account. ($10.37 - Yay!) I don't own "Sorcerer Hunters", and trust me, if I did, Marron would be so worn out, he would never walk again. . v Now then. This story contains yaoi, shounen-ai, lemon, lime, and incest, all mixed together to bring about a fluffity angst milkshake. Drink liberally, with amounts of glazed Carrots and Chestnuts for garnish. CarrotxMarron. It's a good thing.  
  
-Beautiful Midnight (With a hint of Martha Stewart for the introduction.)  
  
  
  
-1-  
  
Carrot put on a mask of hatred and turned towards his little brother, not expecting to see the pain reflected in those golden eyes that made the girls fall for him instantly. He remembered all the crowds around his otouto, all swooning and giggling, and he sometimes wanted to tear through them and whisk Marron away for himself...but this was different. If Marron didn't go, then Carrot would give into his temptations, and it could be problematic for all of tehm. It could tear apart the Sorcerer Hunters and push Spooner into chaos.. Darkness could rule the continent, and thousands could perish in its wake! ...Perhaps a little melodramatic for such a scenario.. after all, it was only love.  
  
The look in Marron's eyes caused Carrot to lose the mask for a moment and tremble, but he remembered that it was all for their own good.. can't give into temptation..His otouto was shaking, and his pale skin was practically glowing in the moonlight. Carrot shivered as he looked at Marron with a little more than brotherly love..brotherly -lust-, maybe? Again, he pushed it away. "Why don't you just go home, Marron?!" He snapped. "You're not helping anyone here. You're slowing down the mission."  
  
Marron recoiled like he had been hit, and looked to the other hunters, who looked just as shocked. "B..But.. 'niisan.. I.."  
  
"But nothing! I'm the leader of the Sorcerer Hunters, Marron. Don't forget that. I'm tired of you following me around like a little puppy. I don't need you to protect me. I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself. Go.. home."  
  
"D..Do you really want me to go?"  
  
There was the smallest hesitation, and Carrot tried not to let emotion shine through. His voice was choked, but if Marron noticed it, he didn't give any indication. "Yes."  
  
"...Oh." The glimmer of hope died in his eyes. Part of him had been hoping that this was all a bad dream. He'd never seen Carrot acting like this.. He must've done something horrible to make his 'niisan hate him this much..  
  
Carrot looked away, pained. He'd been in love with his little brother for what seemed like forever; ever since they were children. Apricot never picked up on it, but Onion did, and yelled at Carrot once, telling him it was wrong to feel that way about his otouto. Since then, he had chased all the pretty girls he could find, pretending he was actually interested, when he would've given anything to kiss Marron's rose-hued lips, to learn every contour of that pale, perfect body, to make Marron cry out his name in ecstacy; anything. He was afraid, though.. of what everyone would say. Hell, he wasn't even sure how Marron would react. Carrot doubted that Marron would laugh in his face or be cruel, but there might be a sad look directed at him.. much like the one that Marron was looking at him with now, actually.  
  
"I.. I'm sorry, 'niisan." He murmured, turning away, his white robes rustling gently, his hair moving sleekly with the evening's soft breeze. It was spring, and still warm out..so why did he feel so cold? Tira, Chocolat, and Gateau all stared in what was well deserved shock. They had never seen the two brothers act anything but close, and Carrot had never raised his voice at Marron. Tira walked up and very calmly hit Carrot upside the head.  
  
"What the hell do you think you're doing!?" She asked. Gateau growled and chased after Marron, only this time it wasn't to show Marron his fantastic and abundant muscles; it was to beg him to stay. While the two sisters took turns beating Carrot into oblivion, the burly blonde German caught up to Marron.  
  
"Hey, beautiful one. You don't have to leave. Just forget him."  
  
"No." Marron said softly, maintaining his pace. "Go back, Gateau. The team needs you." He turned and offered a small smile. "Maybe we'll see each other again someday. Take good care of my 'niisan for me.." Gateau nodded dumbly, watching the mage walk away before storming back to Carrot, who was lying on the ground in much-welcomed pain.  
  
"What the hell did you do that for, idiot!?" He growled, kicking the crumpled heap that was Carrot.  
  
"You wouldn't understand." Carrot groaned, picking himself up off the ground. "I did it for his own good."  
  
Gateau blinked a couple of times, not really understanding how someone would push someone that they loved away 'for their own good' . "You're right. I don't understand." He said quietly, walking away, leaving the beaten, heartbroken boy standing in the meadow by himself.  
  
"I'm sorry, Marron." He whispered. "Someday I'll tell you the truth."  
  
*  
  
It took two days to find it, but Marron finally did find the little cottage that used to be the residence of the Glace family.. Now it was empty. Apricot was dead... Onion was gone.. Carrot gone... now it was just him. He hadn't cried during the entire journey; he'd always hated other people seeing him cry. A sad smile crossed his features as he remembered his brother telling him when they were children: 'Don't cry, Marron.. You're a big boy, right?'  
  
He walked into the cottage, looking around, memories flashing into his mind. The family gathered around the breakfast table; he and Carrot playing in the yard; Apricot hanging her laundry on the clothesline and calling to them to be careful. Now all of that was gone. Marron finally entered the room that he and Carrot shared, curling up silently on the small bed. He clutched a small teddy bear to his chest, and now, alone, he finally let the walls around him crumble.  
  
Broken sobs shook his lithe body, and his hair fell into his face, becoming wet with the hot tears that coursed raggedly down his cheeks. He hadn't done anything for Carrot to turn on him like that.. unless Carrot found out that Marron's love for him was a little above and beyond that of a brother.. but how? Marron had never uttered a word about it to anyone, least of all Carrot.  
  
What was the point of being in love with Carrot, anyway? The day that Carrot stopped chasing everything with tits and two legs was the day that turnips grew legs and walked. (Author's note: Turnips can grow legs and walk if you leave them in the fridge too long, but that's another story.)  
  
The door slammed shut from elsewhere in the house, and Marron sat up straight, hearing loud footsteps. He flinched, but relaxed when he saw Onion standing in the doorway. "Marron!" He picked the slender youth up and swung him around, hugging him tightly, but not too tightly. The last time he'd hugged his favorite son, the poor boy had passed out from lack of oxygen. Onion had learned from past mistakes, yes sir. "What are you doing home? Why aren't you with the others? Are you sick? Are you feeling well? Did you get hurt? You look like you're all right. ..You're crying. Alright. What did he do? Is he here? OI! IDIOT SON! I'M GOING TO HURT YOU FOR MAKING YOUR BROTHER CRY!"  
  
"No.. I .. I just.. I decided I needed a break from being a Sorcerer Hunter." He forced a smile. Onion looked at him in disbelief, and Marron sighed. He was a terrible liar. "...Carrot thought it would be better if I came home for a while. "  
  
"Ah, don't listen to that idiot, Marron." He wiped the tears from the youth's cheeks and grinned. "This just means we can spend more time together! Come on! Let's bond!"  
  
Marron hardly had time to protest before Onion dragged him out of the room.. it would certainly be different not being a sorcerer hunter.. but maybe it'd be better. More interesting, even. After all, he had to get used to not having Carrot in his life..and finding something else to fill the void. 'I love you, Carrot.' He thought silently. 'Take care of yourself.'  
  
*  
  
It hadn't taken long for Mama to convince Marron to go back to being a Sorcerer Hunter. She found him a week later and offered him a solo job. Marron accepted, but not without some hesitation. He travelled on his own for a year, and was doing quite well by himself, but the pain of being alone went with him everywhere. She approached him one night while he was in front of a fire, getting ready to camp out for the night.  
  
"Marron.. I have an assignment for you." She smiled at him warmly, helping to quell some of his sadness as always.  
  
"Yes, Mama, what is it?" He looked up from the fire to meet her gaze.  
  
"It involves going back with your old team. They need a magic user for this..and you're the best one."  
  
He choked. "..what?! I.. I can't."  
  
"You may take a vacation after this, Marron.. I have a feeling you'll need it. Good luck."  
  
He stared into the fire for the rest of the night, unable to sleep. Part of him wanted to run away, to not accept this mission for once.. but the rest of him wanted to see Carrot again. He loved his 'niisan deeply, more than he was supposed to, but that was beside the point. Being away from Carrot was slowly killing him..every day, his heart broke a little more. Marron didn't cry that night, though.. He'd cried too much on his own. This was a night of celebration, so to speak. He set his dinner on the fire and ate slowly, wondering if the others would be happy to see him..  
  
*  
  
Carrot looked around uneasily as the four of them sat in a crowded inn. They were assigned to help out another hunter near Carrot's old hometown. Apparently there was some kind of evil Sorcerer using the parishioners as his personal puppets. In the year that the group had been missing a member, they had certainly felt the loss. They weren't as strong as they once were, and Carrot was miserable without Marron around. Plus, Onion had already sought out the group and yelled at Carrot for doing that to his otuoto, and what did he think he was doing and was he a total and complete idiot and what would Apricot think of it. Carrot had withstood the yelling silently, finally whispering an apology to his father. Onion sighed and sat down, telling Carrot how Marron had only been home for a week or so before leaving again.  
  
"If something happens to Marron..." Onion warned quietly before getting up and leaving. Carrot sighed, holding his head in his hands, trying to fight back the tears that had stained his pllows since Marron had left. If something happened to Marron, he'd die of a broken heart.  
  
"Excuse me.. Big Mama assigned me to work with you." A voice said softly behind them, and all but Carrot turned around, gasping.  
  
"Marron!?" They chorused, and at that, Carrot whirled in his seat, staring up at his little brother. Marron looked older than before, more serious, although he still wore the same mage's robes, and those beautiful golden eyes were the same. They could still pierce through your soul with a single glance. He looked stronger now, not the same rail-thin boy he once was. His hair was shorter now, only halfway down his back, but it still looked like spun silk, the color of a raven's feathers. He bowed respectfully before giving Carrot a cool look that all but caused the tears to spill from his eyes.  
  
Gateau picked Marron up and hugged him tightly, grinning. Chocolat and Tira each kissed Marron on the cheek, holding onto him. Engulfed in the sea of arms, Marron couldn't help but smile faintly, murmuring "I missed you all too." Chocolat squealed and ran a hand down Marron's firm chest, giggling and tapping the pale man on the nose.  
  
"Marron's all grown up! Look at his cute little muscles!" She teased, tossing her long red hair over one shoulder, grinning as she saw Marron's pale cheeks redden. "And now he's eighteen." She gave him a seductive purr, and he blushed deeper.  
  
"Stop teasing him, oneechan!"  
  
"I'm not teasing." Chocolat grinned and let go, watching Marron smoothing his robes and regaining his serious atmosphere. "He looks different, doesn't he, darling?"  
  
Carrot jerked slightly, snapping out of his trance. "Y..Yeah." He offered weakly. "You look a lot different, Marron."  
  
Marron didn't reply, ignoring him and looking to the other hunters. "So have you approached the sorcerer yet?" They shook their heads, and Marron nodded. "We will attack the mansion tomorrow if he does not give up the forbidden magic. "  
  
"Like that ever happens." Gateau snorted, tousling Marron's hair and grinning as he saw the familiar glare shot towards him. "Good to have you back, beautiful." He grabbed Marron's ass discreetly. Marron smacked his hand away.  
  
"Gateau, behave yourself. " Marron narrowed his eyes. "I assume we have reservations here?"  
  
"..Yes." They all looked a little surprised at Marron's sudden growth of a backbone instead of taking Gateau's flirting silently. "But.." Tira said slowly. "There were only three rooms. "  
  
"Which means you get to share a bed with me!" Gateau said happily, but Marron shook his head.  
  
"No thank you."  
  
"Then you have to share with Carrot."  
  
Carrot wanted to jump for joy, but he kept a tight rein on his emotions, dismissing it with a casual shrug before yawning. "I.. I'm going to head up to bed. It's late." He stood up and saw Marron look through the window at the moon.  
  
"Yes, it is. We should all get some sleep." He turned and went upstairs into the room. Tira frowned.  
  
"He's changed.. a lot." She murmured, and the others nodded their assent. Carrot sighed. 'It's all my fault...' He thought to himself, saying a soft 'good night' to the others before following Marron's steps upstairs.  
  
Marron sighed as he heard the door open, closing his eyes and pretending to be asleep as he heard his brother's inquiring voice through the darkness. His robes lay folded on the table near the bed, and his small bag was beside it. His hair flayed against the pillow gently. Carrot shivered and mentally prepared himself, undressing, tossing his clothes haphazardly on the ground before pulling the blankets back. He closed his eyes, trying to get rid of the image of his younger brother's pale, sleek body lying half- naked on the bed beside him as he himself climbed in. The image seemed to burn itself into his brain, and his fingers longed for the feel of the pale skin.. He could practically feel the warmth of Marron's body beside him, and no matter how tightly he clenched his eyes shut, he couldn't get the beautiful picture out of his mind. He lay awake in the dark, listening to Marron's slow, shallow breathing for what seemed like hours, one hand trailing rebelliously over and playing with the soft black hair. He watched in awe as the strands almost captured the moonlight within themselves. "Marron.. I.. I'm sorry."  
  
"What?" He looked back, raising an eyebrow.  
  
"I said I was sorry... f..for what I said. For making you leave."  
  
Marron smiled a little in the darkness. "I forgive you."  
  
"I love you, Marron."  
  
"I love you too, 'niisan."  
  
"It's good to have you back." He smiled and closed his eyes, listening to Marron's breathing once more. It was more soothing than he realized, and soon, he fell asleep.  
  
Marron felt Carrot's hand playing with his hair and shivered, closing his eyes, his cheekspractically glowing red in the dark room. As he looked back, he saw Carrot sleeping with one hand still clenched around a few strands of hair, and he smiled...for what felt like the first time in years, he smiled. For a moment, he saw something more there than just Carrot.. he saw a lover, and almost lost his composure at the thought of it. One of the reasons he agreed to leave the Sorcerer Hunters in the first place was because he was afraid what would happen if he gave into his feelings for his 'niisan. He gently stroked Carrot's cheek before lying back down on the bed, closing his eyes again, gasping as he felt a warm arm clenching around his slender waist. Instinctively, he leaned into the embrace, but a little voice inside his head screamed 'No, no, no, no, no, NO!'. Marron whimpered, feeling the warmth of Carrot's skin aganist his own, coupled with the hot breath against the side of his neck. "Oh god.." He whispered, a pained look on his face as Carrot pressed his body against Marron's, caught in his own dream, picturing Marron's arms around him, those rosy lips kissing his skin, and Carrot returning every single pleasure voluntarily.  
  
Feeling Carrot's slight arousal through the fabric of his boxers, Marron shuddered, his own restriction growing in spite of his internal protests, and he heard a soft moan from behind him. The younger boy blinked. Was it possible? "Marron.." came Carrot's purring voice. "Ai shiteru.." The blush that had so recently occupied his face drained as the blood rushed elsewhere, leaving the boy with skin as pale as the moonlight. Before the dream could further itself, Carrot sighed and contented himself with burying his face in Marron's hair, letting out happy murmurs of affection. Marron felt the hot tears on his cheeks and struggled to pull out of the embrace, but finding himself trapped, sighed and settled into Carrot's arms...for now, anyway. They would see what would change in the morning, when the sun rose above the hills. 


	2. Chapter Two

-2-  
  
Marron purred softly as he felt the warmth of the sunlight playing against his soft features and heard the quiet breathing behind him. He released a soft gasp of surprise, pulling harshly out of Carrot's arms, panting. It certainly wasn't something he was used to awakening to. Not lately, anyway. He looked warily at the smile on Carrot's face and wondered if Carrot was maybe dreaming of him.. but then he shook his head, knowing that something like that would never happen, especially with Carrot. Sighing again, he undressed fully, turning on the hot water and stepping into the shower, letting the water rush over him and plaster his long black hair to his skin. He closed his eyes, feeling as though the water was washing away the pain from before.. Everything was good now.. after all, he and Carrot had apologized to each other, and that was what mattered. He would've preferred a release for all the bottled up passion inside of him, but that wasn't important.. He'd lived his life in an entirely virgin body.. not even a damn kiss. The closest thing he'd experienced to sex was Gateau's seemingly endless exhibitionism, and that wasn't saying much. Marron suspected bemusedly that his brother wasn't exactly the epitome of innocence. although the chances that Carrot was a virgin were pretty good. He ran a hand through his hair, leaning his head back, not noticing the two brown eyes staring in awe at him.  
  
Carrot shuddered, his heart pounding inside his chest as he watched Marron, afraid that if he looked away, the beautiful vision would disappear. Slowly, with his legs shaking on each step, he moved towards the figure in the shower, watching as Marron turned away. He'd never been attracted to guys before.. just.. when it was Marron, it wasn't about men or women.. He only wanted to be with the beautiful mage. Carrot bit his lip and prayed that he wasn't making a horrible mistake. He slipped off his boxers and stepped into the shower, brushing aside the raven mane to trail his lips across the back of Marron's neck.  
  
Marron whirled around, wide-eyed, backing away, the shower hitting his back full force as Carrot approached him. "N..Niisan!" Marron stammered, swallowing, his face bright red as his eyes trailed down Carrot's body. He quickly averted his gaze, but couldn't help wondering if Carrot hadn't done the same thing to him.  
  
"I had the most amazing dream last night.." Carrot stood where he was, watching his ototo with a little smile, water dripping over his chest. Before Marron could say anything, Carrot continued. "You and I.. made love.. over.." He moved closer to the pale, willowy youth. "And over.." Another step closer. Marron stood frozen against the wall, unable to believe that this was happening. This wasn't happening. This couldn't be happening. "And over.." Carrot leaned up so that he was practically nose-to- nose with Marron. "It was beautiful." He whispered, his hot breath against Marron's face as the water rushed over them. "You're beautiful."  
  
"Niisan.." Marron repeated, unable to move, staring into Carrot's eyes, and it was almost that he could sense what was going to happen next. His lips parted and his eyes closed, and he felt Carrot's lips against his own. Marron's knees buckled beneath him, and if Carrot hadn't been holding onto him, he would've fallen. Carrot tilted his head, pulling his ototo towards him, smiling as he felt Marron's arms around him, holding him there, preventing him from ever leaving.  
  
"I guess you feel the same way." Carrot murmured, trailing his lips along Marron's jawbone, the soft moans enticing him further. The dream had left him rather aroused; he hadn't dreamt of it since Marron left, and now the dream had started up again.. only now, it was coming true. Marron looked up, his golden eyes shimmering with tears.  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Baka.." Carrot chuckled. "I'm in love with you." Marron choked back a harsh sob and buried his face into Carrot's shoulder, trembling, and Carrot's first thought was that he had injured the slender youth somehow. "Marron?" He asked, tilting his head to the side.  
  
"I.. I never thought.. never in a million years." Marron whispered, looking up at him, kissing him and flinging his arms around Carrot's shoulders in one fluid movement. Carrot took a step back before reacting, kissing him with an equal amount of passion, his cheeks flushed red. His otouto's body exciting him as well as the constant onrush of hot water, Carrot shivered, breaking the kiss to draw his lips across the skin of Marron's neck, causing a gasp to escape the already-parted lips. He pushed Marron against the wall of the shower, feeling the water dripping down the slender body, mimicking the water's downward trail with his lips. He raked his teeth across one nipple, then the next, before teasing each with his tongue, causing Marron to squirm like a fish out of water, tightening his fingers in Carrot's spiked hair. Carrot turned Marron around, holding him firmly.  
  
"Do you want the dream to come true?" He whispered hoarsely, receiving a silent nod in reply. Carrot continued kissing down Marron's neck, so aroused at this point that it almost hurt. He looked around the shower and put a small dollop of soap into his hand, lubing up his erection, hoping it would be adequate.. the last thing he wanted to do was hurt Marron..again. He pressed lightly at Marron's entrance, slowly, painfully pushing inside, stopping as he heard Marron whimper. "Are you okay?" He asked, frowning.  
  
Marron finally nodded, opening one of his eyes. "K.. Keep going, 'niisan."  
  
Carrot hesitated, but began to push in a little deeper, until finally, he was inside him completely. He paused, enjoying the sensation, feeling the warmth surrounding him, the body trembling in his arms. He held Marron for a moment, resting his cheek against his otouto's, waiting for consent to continue. When he received it, he was all too happy to keep going. Slowly, he started an almost painful thrusting with his hips, holding Marron in place and moaning softly.  
  
Marron shivered, his eyes slowly opening, the pain giving way to unbelievable pleasure as he felt Carrot hitting that one spot inside that made nothing else matter. He let out a low mewl, his eyes rolling back in his head. He moaned Carrot's name softly, starting to move his hips in the rhythm that his niisan was creating.  
  
Carrot nearly reached the peak hearing Marron moan his name.. It had never sounded as beautiful until then. It became increasingly difficult to speed up as Marron's body tensed, but Carrot was always one to rise to a challenge. He reached around and curled his fingers around his otouto's erection, and began to stroke it lightly, eliciting more moans and gasps from Marron. They were both panting heavily now, bucking against each other's bodies and nearing the impending climax with each passing second.  
  
Suddenly, Marron cried out, releasing against the wall of the shower, his entire body tightening up. Carrot gasped. The sudden tightness, coupled with Marron's cry, sent him to the edge, and he climaxed into his otouto's lithe body. He slowly pulled out, hearing a soft whimper, and caught Marron before he fell, feeling rather weak himself.  
  
"Carrot.." Marron whispered, his golden eyes staring up into Carrot's brown ones groggily. Gently, Carrot brushed the hair from Marron's face and shut the water off.  
  
"Yes, otouto?" He murmured, kissing all over the younger man's face, stepping out of the shower. Carrying Marron in his arms, he lay him on the blanket and flopped unceremoniously next to him. Marron closed his eyes and twined his fingers around Carrot's, murmuring 'Ai shiteru..' before falling back asleep. He felt sore and exhausted, but it was a good sore.. It was a fun exhaustion.  
  
Carrot smiled and squeezed Marron's hand before sitting up, drawing each finger into his mouth for a light kiss and covering the pale body with a blanket. He got dressed slowly, his mind reeling from the dream that had just happened when he was awake, and walked downstairs. Tira, Chocolat, and Gateau were seated around the table, finishing up with breakfast.  
  
"Where's Marron?" Gateau asked, setting down his coffee cup and looking at the stairs hopefully.  
  
"Still sleeping." Carrot smiled faintly. "He had a long trip, so he's pretty tired."  
  
"Did you sleep well, darling?" Chocolat moved away her plate and smiled.  
  
"Yeah.. I did, actually.." He said, looking to the closed door for a moment before sitting down with them. He leaned back in his chair, and with a faint grin, he looked at the other three. "I haven't slept that well in a long time." 


End file.
